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Bakersfield, CA., June 26 –Evans Motorsports did it again Saturday night at the third-mile, clay Bakersfield Speedway as part of a multi-division racing program. The two-car Moorpark-based NMRA-TQ Midget Series team finished one-two in the main event for the second consecutive time and third time in eight races this season. They also ran one-two in the May 22 Bakersfield race and during the June 19 Perris race. In each case team owner West Evans won aboard his No. 36 Spike-750cc Suzuki. Over the last four races, his cousin Chuck West, from Clovis, drove the No. 38 Stealth/750cc Suzuki to three seconds and a victory in event six when Evans finished fourth.
The 25-lap feature started 11 cars, tying the season high car count in round two at Bakersfield on March 27. Kenny Wiley started in P. 2 Saturday and led the first 17 laps before he dropped out on lap 18. Evans, the fourth starter, inherited the lead and remained in front for the final eight circuits. West started eighth and claimed second. Evans entered the race 35 points in back of series point leader Anthony Lopiccolo. He now trails Lopiccolo by only seven points as they both seek their first TQ driving championship. Evans' No. 38 car tied Lopiccolo's No. 21 TQ at 462 points. Both cars trail the Evans No. 38 by 30 points with nine NMRA races remaining on the schedule.
Pole starter Ron Ahrendt finished third in his own No. 87 Ellis/Honda. Bruce Hiroshima started in P. 5 and earned fourth. Hometown driver Dakota Schweitzer started third and finished fifth. Scott Dobson (from 11th), Jimmy Dodson (from P. 6), Dave Lambert (from 10th), and Amanda Thomas (from P. 9) were the other finishers and all completed 25 laps. Non-finishers were Wiley with 17 laps and point leader Lopiccolo with two laps.
The two eight-lap heat races had six and five starters. Fourth starter Evans won over sixth starter West in the first heat. Schweitzer, from P. 3, won the second heat over fourth starter Hiroshima. The next scheduled NMRA race, round nine of 16, will be Saturday, July 24. It will be the fifth of nine TQ races scheduled at Bakersfield Speedway this year.
Summary:
Heat 1 – West Evans, Chuck West, Kenny Wiley, Jimmy Dodson, Amanda Thomas, Scott Dobson.
Heat 2 – Dakota Schweitzer, Bruce Hiroshima, Anthony Lopiccolo, Ron Ahrendt, Dave Lambert.
Main – Evans, West, Ahrendt, Hiroshima, Schweitzer, Dobson, Dodson, Lambert, Thomas, Wiley, Lopiccolo.
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